CN109952481A - Refrigerator and control method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a refrigerator, and relates to a refrigerator in which a user can easily open a refrigerator door. The present invention relates to a refrigerator and a control method thereof capable of preventing the refrigerator door from being automatically opened due to misoperation.

Description

Refrigerator and control method thereof

technical field

The present invention relates to a refrigerator, and relates to a refrigerator in which a user can easily open a refrigerator door. The present invention relates to a refrigerator and a control method thereof capable of preventing the refrigerator door from being automatically opened due to misoperation.

Background technique

A refrigerator is a home appliance that can store objects such as food at a low temperature in a storage compartment provided in a cabinet. The storage compartment is surrounded by insulating walls, and the interior of the storage compartment is kept at a temperature lower than the outside temperature. The storage compartment may be referred to as a refrigerator compartment or a freezer compartment according to the temperature range of the storage compartment.

The user uses the door to open and close the storage room. The user opens the door to put objects in or out of the storage compartment. Usually, the door is rotatably arranged in the box, and a gasket is arranged between the door and the box. Therefore, when the door is in a closed state, the gasket is fitted between the door and the box, thereby preventing leakage of cold air in the storage compartment. As the fitting force of such a gasket increases, the effect of preventing cold air leakage can be increased.

In order to increase the fitting force of the washer, the washer may be made of a rubber magnet, and a magnet may be provided inside the washer. However, when the fit force of such a gasket increases, it means that a correspondingly large force is required to open the door.

Recently, refrigerators that implement an automatic shut-off function are provided. The automatic closing function refers to the function of automatically closing the refrigerator door by using the fitting force of the gasket, the magnetic force and the elastic force of the spring, etc., when the refrigerator door is slightly opened. In addition, the automatic closing function refers to a function that the door of the refrigerator does not automatically open even if the refrigerator is slightly tilted forward.

Therefore, the refrigerators provided recently require a large force to open the door compared to the previous refrigerators. This is because, in order to open the refrigerator door, the fit, magnetism and spring force of the gasket must be overcome.

As an example, a user may require a force of 6 kgf in order to open a refrigerator door. Since this force is relatively large, the door cannot be opened easily. Also, when a very large force is applied to open the door, a problem that the door suddenly opens may occur.

In order to solve such a problem, a refrigerator in which a refrigerator door can be automatically opened has been proposed.

As an example, a refrigerator in which a refrigerator door is automatically opened when a user presses a specific button, or a refrigerator in which the door is automatically opened when a user touches or drags a specific area of the door is proposed.

As an example, when the user's human body or a part of the human body approaches a specific position of the refrigerator, a refrigerator is proposed that automatically opens the door by detecting the situation.

However, in the conventional refrigerator, there is a problem that the door is automatically opened even with the user's intention. As an example, the door may automatically open when the user is just passing in front of the refrigerator or when the user is just leaning against the door of the refrigerator. In this case, the user may be startled or injured when the door is opened, and cold air loss may occur when the door is kept open. That is, contrary to the user's intention, the door is opened unnecessarily, thereby possibly causing safety problems and loss of cooling air.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

technical issues

The basic purpose of the present invention is to solve the aforementioned problems of conventional refrigerators.

Through an embodiment of the present invention, a refrigerator is provided, which reduces the force required by a user to open the refrigerator door and is convenient to use.

Through an embodiment of the present invention, it is to provide a refrigerator that can allow a user to easily open the refrigerator door while maintaining a force for closing the refrigerator door.

Through an embodiment of the present invention, it is to provide a refrigerator, which can allow a user to easily open the refrigerator door while maintaining the automatic closing function of the refrigerator door.

Through an embodiment of the present invention, a refrigerator and a control method thereof are provided, which can clearly grasp the user's intention to open the refrigerator door so that the refrigerator door can be automatically opened.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a refrigerator and a control method thereof are provided, which can prevent the refrigerator door from automatically opening in advance without the user's intention to open the refrigerator door.

Through an embodiment of the present invention, it is to provide a refrigerator which can be intuitively used by a user and can automatically open the refrigerator door without holding the handle of the door by hand.

Through an embodiment of the present invention, a refrigerator is provided that does not require a user to perform an action of touching a button or a sensor in order to automatically open the door. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a refrigerator and a control method thereof, which can automatically open a refrigerator door even when a user holds an object in both hands.

Through an embodiment of the present invention, a refrigerator is provided, which can prevent the refrigerator door from being opened due to misoperation through a control method without adding a new structure.

Through an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a refrigerator and a control method thereof, which can effectively open a door through a door opening device.

Through an embodiment of the present invention, a refrigerator and a control method thereof are provided, which can effectively open a plurality of doors by one door opening device.

Through an embodiment of the present invention, to provide a refrigerator and a control method thereof, a user can easily select a specific opening mode in a refrigerator having a plurality of door opening modes.

Through an embodiment of the present invention, to provide a refrigerator and a control method thereof, a user can intuitively grasp whether a door is opened in what door opening mode through a notification.

Through an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a refrigerator and a control method thereof, which can sequentially eliminate erroneous operation conditions of a door opening device. As an example, conditions such as the case where the door opening device is operated with the door open, the case where the user passes by the refrigerator, the case where the user or the object is in front of the refrigerator for a long time, etc., can be sequentially eliminated.

technical solutions to problems

In order to achieve the above object, according to an embodiment of the present invention, a refrigerator can be provided, which includes: a box body having a storage compartment; and left and right doors for opening and closing the storage compartment and arranged on both sides of the storage compartment Open and close independently of each other; a sensor arranged to detect that the user is within a detection distance and outside the detection distance to distinguish detection on and detection off; a door opening device arranged to automatically open the left and right doors and have a plurality of door opening modes; and a control unit that determines, in the sensor, a driving condition of the door opening device on the basis of a detection opening duration and a time period after the detection of opening until detection of closing, and uses the plurality of doors Either of the open modes controls the actuation of the door opening device.

The door opening device may include: a single motor; and left and right racks arranged to move forward with the driving of the single motor to push the left and right doors, respectively.

The plurality of door opening modes may include an open mode of the left door and an open mode of the right door.

The plurality of door opening modes may include a mode in which any one of the left and right doors is opened and an open mode in which all of the left and right doors are opened.

The opening of the left door and the right door may be performed in sequence in an opening mode in which all the left and right doors are opened.

Preferably, when the detection turn-on duration is less than the set time T1, the control unit determines that the driving condition is not satisfied.

Preferably, after the set time T1 has elapsed, the control unit determines whether the detection is turned off.

Preferably, after the set time T1 has elapsed, if the time required for the detection of closing is less than the set time T2, the door opening device is driven in the first driving mode among the plurality of driving modes mode driven.

Preferably, after the set time T1 has elapsed, if the time required for the detection of closing is less than the set time T3 longer than the set time T2, the door opening device will A second drive mode of the plurality of drive modes drives.

Preferably, notification means are included for notifying the user that the door opening means is about to operate.

Preferably, the control section controls the operation of the notification device to generate notifications different from each other in accordance with the opening mode of the door opening device.

Preferably, the notification device is a buzzer for generating a beep sound, and the opening modes different from each other are distinguished by the number of beep sounds.

Preferably, a door switch for detecting the opening and closing of the left and right doors is included, and the control unit determines whether a driving condition of the door opening device is satisfied if the door switch detects that the left and right doors are closed.

In order to achieve the above object, according to an embodiment of the present invention, a control method for a refrigerator can be provided, which includes: a detection on (on) step, detecting whether a user is within a detection distance through a sensor; a judging step, if the detection If the opening duration is more than the set time T1, it is judged once that the user intends to open at least any one of the left and right doors for opening and closing the storage room; the off step is detected, and after the one judgment step, the The sensor detects whether the user exceeds the detection distance; the secondary judgment step selects any one of a plurality of door opening modes according to the time required after the primary judgment step to the detection and closing step; and the door opening step , the door opening device for opening the left and right doors is driven according to the selected mode.

The second judging step may include a step for judging whether the first mode is selected and a step for judging whether the second mode is selected if the first mode is not selected. In the case where the second mode is not selected, it can finally be determined that the user has no intention to open the door.

The plurality of door opening modes may include a mode for opening any one of the left and right doors.

The plurality of door opening modes may include a mode in which all the left and right doors are opened.

Preferably, the notifying step for notifying the user that the door opening device is to be driven is performed after the one-time judging step.

Preferably, the notification step performs notification in different forms from each other according to the plurality of door opening modes.

After the one judgment step, if the time required for the detection to be turned off is less than the set time T2, the first driving mode among the plurality of driving modes may be selected.

After the one judgment step, if the time required for the detection to be turned off is less than the set time T3 longer than the set time T2, the second drive among the plurality of drive modes may be selected model.

If the set time T3 elapses and the detection off is executed, it is preferable to return to the detection on step. That is, it can be finally determined that the user has no intention to open the door.

In order to achieve the above object, according to an embodiment of the present invention, a refrigerator can be provided, which includes: a box body having a storage compartment; a door for opening and closing the storage compartment; a sensor configured to detect when a user is at a detection distance inside and outside the detection distance to distinguish detection on and detection off; door opening means arranged to automatically open the door; The driving condition of the door opening device is judged based on the time from the detection of opening to the detection of closing, so as to control the driving of the door opening device.

Here, the driving conditions of the door opening device may refer to conditions for driving the door opening device. In addition, the driving conditions of the door opening device may also refer to conditions regarding in what mode the door opening device is driven.

First, the primary condition as the driving condition of the door opening device may include a condition for driving the door opening device. If such a primary condition is satisfied, a condition as to what mode to drive in may be required secondary. If this condition is met, it can be driven in a specific mode. And, if such a condition is not satisfied, a third condition on whether to drive in other specific modes may be required. If the condition is satisfied three times, it is driven in other specific modes, and if it is not satisfied, the door opening device may not be driven in the end.

Preferably, when the detection ON duration is less than the set time t1, the control unit determines that the driving condition is not satisfied. Thereby, when the user passes the refrigerator, the door opening device may not be operated.

Preferably, when the ON duration of the detection is longer than the set time t1, the control unit determines whether the detection is OFF.

Preferably, the control section determines that the driving condition is not satisfied when the detection is not turned off for a set period of time. Thus, when a user or an object is located in front of the refrigerator for a long time, the door opening device may not operate.

If it is determined that the detection is off, preferably, when the time required for the detection to be off after the detection is turned on is less than the set time t1+t2, the control unit determines that the driving condition is satisfied .

The set time t1 corresponds to the time when the user intends to open the door and remains close to the door, and the set time t1+t2 preferably corresponds to the time for forming the space for the user to open the door and leave the door. Sure. Therefore, erroneous operation of the door opening device can be prevented step by step.

Also included is a notification device, the notification device preferably operating before the door is opened.

When the detected opening duration is equal to or longer than the set time t1, the control section preferably controls the operation of the notification device to notify the user that the door is about to be opened.

A door switch for detecting whether the door is opened and closed is included, and if the door is detected as closed by the door switch, the control preferably determines whether a drive condition for the door opening device is satisfied.

In order to achieve the above object, according to an embodiment of the present invention, a control method of a refrigerator can be provided, which includes: a detection on (on) step, and a sensor is used to detect whether a user is within a detection distance; a judgment step, when the detection When the opening duration is more than the set time t1, it is judged once that the user intends to open the door; the step of detecting the closing (off), after the first judging step, the sensor is used to detect whether the user exceeds the detection distance; the second judgment Steps, if the time required for the detection to close after the detection is turned on is less than the set time t1+t2, the user intends to open the door twice; and the step of opening the door, driving the door to open after the second judgment device to automatically open the door.

If the detection off step is not performed at the set time t3 after the one judgment step, it is preferable to return to the detection on step after the detection off step is performed.

The detecting on-off step may include the steps of initializing time and counting the time after the detecting on-off.

After the one judgment step, a notification step for notifying the user that the door will be opened is preferably performed.

The detection shutdown step is preferably performed after the notification step is performed.

Preferably, a door opening judging step for judging whether the door is open or closed by a door switch is included.

If it is determined in the door opening determination step that the door is closed, the detection opening step is preferably performed.

In order to achieve the above object, according to an embodiment of the present invention, a control method of a refrigerator can be provided, which includes: a detection on (on) step, and a sensor is used to detect whether a user is within a detection distance; a judgment step, when the detection When the opening duration is more than the set time t1, it is judged once that the user intends to open the door; the notifying step is to operate the notifying device and notify the user that the door is about to be opened after the one judging step; detecting the off step , after the notification step, it is detected by the sensor whether the user exceeds the detection distance; and the door is opened, after the detection and closing step, the door opening device is driven and the door is automatically opened.

The notification step can be said to be a step for reconfirming the user's intention to open the door, rather than simply telling the user that the door is about to be opened. This is because through the notification step, the user needs to move in order to detect closing. With this movement, the user's intention to open the door can be more clearly confirmed.

The notification device is preferably a buzzer that generates a buzzer sound. That is, it is preferably a device that generates sound.

Preferably, a door opening judging step for judging whether the door is open or closed by a door switch is included.

If it is determined in the door opening determination step that the door is closed, the detection opening step is preferably performed.

Invention effect

An embodiment of the present invention may provide a refrigerator, which reduces the force required by a user to open the refrigerator door and is convenient for use.

An embodiment of the present invention may provide a refrigerator that may allow a user to easily open a refrigerator door while maintaining a force for closing the refrigerator door.

An embodiment of the present invention may provide a refrigerator that may allow a user to easily open the refrigerator while maintaining an automatic closing function of a refrigerator door.

An embodiment of the present invention can provide a refrigerator and a control method thereof, which can clearly grasp the user's intention to open the refrigerator door and can automatically open the refrigerator door.

An embodiment of the present invention may provide a refrigerator and a control method thereof, which can prevent a refrigerator door from being automatically opened in advance even when a user has no intention to open the refrigerator door.

An embodiment of the present invention provides such a refrigerator, which can be intuitively used by a user and can automatically open a refrigerator door without holding a handle of the door with a hand.

An embodiment of the present invention may provide a refrigerator that does not require a user to perform an action of touching a button or a sensor for automatic opening of the door. Accordingly, it is possible to provide a refrigerator and a control method thereof, which can automatically open a refrigerator door even when an object is held in both hands of a user.

An embodiment of the present invention can provide a refrigerator, which can prevent the refrigerator door from being opened due to misoperation through a control method without adding a new structure.

An embodiment of the present invention may provide a refrigerator and a control method thereof capable of efficiently opening one door through a single door opening device.

An embodiment of the present invention may provide a refrigerator and a control method thereof capable of efficiently opening a plurality of doors through a single door opening device.

An embodiment of the present invention may provide a refrigerator and a control method thereof, which may allow a user to easily select a specific opening mode from refrigerators having a plurality of door opening modes.

An embodiment of the present invention can provide a refrigerator and a control method thereof, which can make a user intuitively grasp whether a door is opened in what door opening mode through a notification.

An embodiment of the present invention may provide a refrigerator and a control method thereof, which can sequentially eliminate a malfunctioning condition of a door opening device. As an example, conditions such as the case where the door opening device is operated with the door open, the case where the user passes by the refrigerator, the case where the user or the object is in front of the refrigerator for a long time, etc., can be sequentially eliminated.

Description of drawings

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator that can be applied to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the door shown in FIG. 1 .

3 is a plan view showing an operating state of an example of the door opening device applicable to the embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a plan view showing an operating state of another example of the door opening device applicable to the embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a plan view showing an operating state of yet another example of the door opening device applicable to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a control structure that can be applied to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a control method applicable to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram of a refrigerator that can be applied to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a control method according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed ways

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention. As an example, it is shown that two doors for opening and closing the upper refrigerating compartment and two doors for opening and closing the lower freezing compartment are provided.

A refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a box body 10 having a storage compartment, and may include a door 12 provided at the box body 10 . The storage compartment formed by the box can be opened and closed by means of the door 12 . Therefore, the refrigerator may be shaped by the box body 10 and the door 12 .

Since the user uses the refrigerator in front of the refrigerator, the door is located in the front of the refrigerator.

As an example, a refrigerator compartment door 13 may be provided for opening and closing the refrigerator compartment 111 . The refrigerator compartment door 13 may be set as left and right doors 15 and 14 . Additionally, a freezer compartment door 16 may be provided for opening and closing the freezer compartment 112 . The freezer compartment door 16 may be provided as left and right doors 18 and 17 .

The door 12 may be rotatably arranged by a door hinge 114 . That is, the door 12 may be rotatably provided in the box through the door hinge 114 .

The user holds the door 12 and opens and closes the door. For this purpose, the door is provided with a handle. FIG. 1 shows an example in which a handle 14a, 15a, 17a, 18b is provided on each door 14, 15, 17, 18, respectively.

That is, if the user has an intention to open the door, the user intuitively approaches the handle. And, hold the handle and apply a force to pull the door. Embodiments of the present invention can be said to utilize such intuitive user actions to enhance user convenience.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an example of the door shown in FIG. 1 . For convenience, the right side refrigerator compartment door 14 is shown.

An embodiment of the present invention may include a door opening device 25 for automatically opening the door. That is, means for automatically opening the door in an electric manner may be included. Such a device can also be provided on a door as shown in FIG. 2 . However, conversely, it may not be provided in the door, but may be provided in the box.

The door opening device 25 is driven under a set condition or state, and the door is automatically opened by the driving of the door opening device 25 . Therefore, the force required by the user to open the door can be significantly reduced. Of course, a sensor for judging the set condition or state is required. Such a sensor will be described later.

3 to 5 show an example of the door opening device 25 which can be applied to an embodiment of the present invention. Specifically, an example provided at the door 14 is shown. In addition, it is shown that the door opening device is provided on the upper side of the door. That is, an example in which the door opening device 25 is mounted on the trim cover portion of the door is shown.

Hereinafter, each door opening device 25 will be described in detail.

The door opening device 25 includes a housing 26 . At least one or more gears 28 may be accommodated in the housing 26 . The gear 28 is actuated by the driving of the motor 27 . The rotation of the motor 27 that rotates at a high speed can be decelerated by the gear 28 . Part of the motor 27 may be accommodated in the housing 26 .

The housing 26 may be configured to be secured to the door 14 . After the housing 26 is installed on the upper side of the door 14 , a decorative cover (not shown) may cover the upper side of the door 14 . Therefore, most of the structure of the door opening device including the housing 26 is installed inside the door 14 so that it can be protected from the outside.

The motor 27 is driven to open the door 14 . At this time, the gear 28 is also driven by the driving of the motor 26 . The driving force of the motor 26 can be transmitted to the rack 29 through the gear 28 .

The rack 29 may be referred to as a structure arranged to protrude from the housing 26 . That is, the rack 29 can be referred to as a structure in which the length protruding from the housing varies.

FIG. 3 shows a state in which the rack 29 protrudes to the outside of the housing 26 and further protrudes to the outside of the door 14 . Therefore, as the protruding length of the rack 29 increases, the rack 29 exerts a force on the case 10 to move the door 14 away. On the contrary, when the door 14 is closed, the protruding length of the rack 29 may be the smallest. That is, the protruding length of the rack 29 to the outside of the door 14 is preferably minimized.

Here, it can be found that the protruding length of the rack 29 is proportional to the opening angle of the door 14 . This is because the rack 29 is kept in contact with the case 10 when the door 14 is rotated around the door hinge 114 . However, as will be described later, the protruding length of the rack 29 is not proportional to the opening angle of the door 14 because the contact position between the linear rack 29 and the case 10 varies.

There is a limit to increasing the protruding length of such a rack 29 . That is, there is a limit in further increasing the angle of the automatic door opening. This is because the protruding length of the rack 29 cannot be greater than the length of the rack 29 . In addition, it is because the length of the rack cannot be greater than the front-rear width of the door 14, that is, the thickness of the door.

Of course, the rack 29 may be provided to pass through the front and rear of the door 14 . However, in this case, very serious design problems may arise. In addition, the rack 29 that moves in front of the refrigerator is exposed, which is not only a problem in appearance design, but also a problem that the entire door opening device may become complicated.

On the other hand, the rack 29 moves linearly. That is, when the door is closed, the rack 29 and the case 10 are arranged in a direction perpendicular to each other. However, as the opening angle of the door increases, the angle between the rack 29 and the box 10 changes. This means that the part of the rack 29 in contact with the case 10 is moving.

Therefore, there may be a tendency for the end portion of the rack 29 to wear, and there may also be a tendency for the case portion to be in contact with the end portion of the rack 29 .

FIG. 4 can be said to be a modification of the door opening device 25 illustrated in FIG. 3 .

The rack 29 illustrated in FIG. 3 moves linearly, however the door opening device 25 may be characterized by a curved movement. That is, other structures are all the same, but only the shapes of the racks 29 may be different from each other.

The rack 29 may have a curved shape as a whole. Of course, the end portion of the rack 29 is straight, and only the portion in contact with the gear 28 may have a curved shape. The curve may be formed to have a prescribed radius with respect to the door hinge 114 .

The rack 29 may have a prescribed radius and protrude relative to the door hinge 114 . That is, the rack 29 can protrude from the door 14 and push the box 10 by the driving of the motor 27 . Therefore, a proportional relationship between the protruding length of the rack 29 and the opening angle of the door 1 can be satisfied. Therefore, by using the curved rack 29 instead of the linear rack 29, the opening angle of the door can be made relatively larger.

In addition, the contact position between the rack 29 and the case 10 may be always constant. Therefore, it is possible to solve a problem that may occur as the contact position changes in a state where the rack 29 is in contact with the case 10 .

However, the curved rack 29 is not easy to manufacture, and there may be a problem of increased manufacturing cost. Also, the curve of the rack 29 should be installed to have a predetermined radius with respect to the door hinge 114 . That is, if the installation location is incorrect, various problems may be caused. Therefore, the installation positions can only be very limited and need to be installed very precisely.

FIG. 5 can be said to be a modification of the door opening device 25 illustrated in FIG. 3 .

The rack 29 illustrated in FIG. 3 moves linearly, however the door opening device 25 may feature an oblique movement. That is, other structures are all the same, but only the shapes of the racks 29 may be different from each other.

Specifically, the rack 29 shown in FIG. 3 may be in the form of a vertical angle with respect to the door 14 and a protruding form. However, in the present door opening device 25 , the rack 29 may be in a protruding form having an inclined angle with respect to the door 14 . In other words, the rack 29 shown in FIG. 3 moves in the same direction as the thickness direction of the door 14 , whereas the rack 29 in this embodiment moves in a direction inclined to the thickness direction of the door 14 .

Therefore, the length of the rack 29 in this embodiment may be greater than the thickness of the door 14 . That is, it means that the protruding length of the rack 29 can be further increased. Therefore, the angle at which the door is automatically opened can be further increased.

On the other hand, in the aforementioned door opening device, the opening angle of the door increases according to the length of the rack lead-out. Therefore, when the rack is drawn out to the maximum extent, the opening angle of the door is the maximum. After that, however, the user can hold the handle and rotate the door further. Thus, the door opening device provides a force to open the door to the automatic opening angle of the door. However, since a relatively large force is required when initially opening the door, the user can open the door very conveniently.

As mentioned above, the Example applicable to the door opening apparatus of this Example was demonstrated. However, not limited to the illustrated embodiment, various forms of door opening devices may be applied to the present embodiment. As an example, a door opening device in which the door opening device is attached to a box other than a door can be applied. In addition, as an example, a door opening device which is a device for opening doors on both sides instead of a device for opening only one door can be applied.

Hereinafter, referring to FIG. 6 , the control structure of the refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.

The user's intention to open the door is detected by the sensor 115 . In this embodiment, the sensor 115 is preferably a distance detection sensor or a human body detection sensor, rather than a sensor directly pressed or touched by the user. That is, as shown in FIG. 1 , the sensor 115 may be installed on the front side of the refrigerator, and thus, it may be detected that the user has approached the refrigerator.

Since the sensor 115 is not the way the user touches, the user does not need to perform a special action. That is, it is only necessary to simply approach the refrigerator. Therefore, it can be very effective when it is difficult to open a door due to holding an object in both hands, or when it is difficult to touch alone.

If the sensor 115 detects the approach of the user and determines that the user has an intention to open the door, the control section 110 may control the operation of the door opening device 25 to automatically open the door.

The sensor 115 may be arranged to detect that the user is within the detection distance and outside the detection distance. The user can set detection on (on) within the detection distance and detection off (off) outside the distance.

The duration for which detection from the sensor 115 is on can be counted. In addition, it is possible to count the time to perform the detection OFF after the detection ON continues. Based on the counted time, the user's intention to open the door can be clearly judged. That is, the case where the user does not intend to open the door can be distinguished, so that the door can be prevented from being opened by mistake.

In the present embodiment, the door switch 200 and the notification device 300 may be provided as control structures of a general refrigerator. The door switch 200 is only a structure for judging the opening and closing of the refrigerator. When the door switch 200 detects that the door is open, the lighting device is turned on inside the storage compartment, and when the door switch 200 detects that the door is closed, the lighting device is turned off.

In addition, when the refrigerator door is opened for a predetermined time or longer, as an example of the notification device 300, a buzzer may generate a beep for notification. That is, the user's attention is drawn as a notification sound.

If the control structure shown in FIG. 6 is observed, it can be found that there is not much difference from the control structure of a general refrigerator. However, an embodiment of the present invention may provide a refrigerator and a control method that can significantly reduce door misoperations through a sensor 115 that detects a user's approach in particular, together with a similar existing control structure.

Hereinafter, a control method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 7 .

The initial step or the start step (S10) may be performed. That is, the steps of preparing to actuate the door opening device can be performed.

In order to open the door, it is necessary to determine whether the user intends to open the door. In this embodiment, the user's approach to the refrigerator can be judged as having the intention to open the door at one time. This is because the precondition for opening the door is that the user approaches the refrigerator.

Therefore, in the present control method, the detection on step ( S30 ) for judging whether the user is within the detection distance can be performed by the sensor 115 . The first pass for opening the door can be said to be passed only if the detection opening is performed.

However, it is also possible that the user does not approach the refrigerator to open the door but merely intends to pass by. Therefore, in this case, it is preferable not to open the door. In this case, the detection on-duration in the sensor can only be relatively small.

Therefore, in order to prevent such erroneous operation, it is preferable to execute the determination step (S40) once. That is, it is preferable to execute one determination step for determining whether the user really intends to open the door. In the first judging step (S40), the duration of the detection turn-on is compared with the set time t1.

If the duration of the detected opening is longer than the set time t1, it is determined once and for all that the user has an intention to open the door. The set time t1 may be a relatively short time for the user to pass the refrigerator. Therefore, if the detection continues for about one second or more, it can be determined once that the user has the intention to open the door.

On the other hand, the user can perform other tasks in front of the refrigerator without intending to open the door. For example, you can clean the front of the refrigerator or lean against it. Even in this case the refrigerator door preferably does not open automatically.

Due to the characteristics of the refrigerator, it is necessary to maintain a prescribed distance from the user in order to open the door. If you observe the usage of a general refrigerator, hold the refrigerator door and open the door after maintaining a prescribed distance from the refrigerator. And, the user further approaches the refrigerator and takes out food from the storage compartment. Therefore, the user can intuitively know that a prescribed distance from the refrigerator should be kept when the door is opened.

Considering the way such refrigerators are used, the user can move to a prescribed distance from the refrigerator to open the refrigerator door. That is, after approaching the refrigerator, the refrigerator door is opened slightly further away from the refrigerator.

Taking this into consideration, it is preferable to execute the secondary judgment step (S70) after the primary judgment step. That is, it is determined whether or not the user has moved to secure a space for opening the door. This movement time is relatively short. Therefore, at this time, if the closing is detected after the preliminary determination and before the elapse of the set time, it is determined that the user intends to open the door.

If the closing is detected after a long lapse of the set time, it can be determined that the user does not intend to open the door but is performing tasks such as cleaning as described above. Therefore, if the detection off step (S70) is not performed at the set time t3, it is possible to return to the detection on step (S30) after performing the detection off step.

Here, time counting may be performed continuously, and may be performed in each step. FIG. 7 shows an example in which the time count is continuously performed from the detection ON to the secondary judgment step (S80). To this end, a reset step ( S20 ) for resetting the time may be performed before the initial step, ie, before performing the detection on. Of course, the resetting step (S20) may be included in the detection turn-on step (S30).

After the detection closing step (S70) is performed, if the detection closing is performed before the elapse of the already set time t1+t2 after the detection and closing, the user's intention to open the door can be confirmed twice The time to detect the off time is added after the on duration.

Therefore, after the step ( S80 ) of confirming the intention for opening the door twice, the step ( S90 ) of operating the door opening device to open the door can be finally performed.

The control method may be performed on the premise that the door is closed. Therefore, as a premise of the judgment condition for opening the door, the step of judging whether or not the door is closed ( S15 ) may be performed.

The step (S15) may be performed by a door switch. Therefore, when it is determined by the door switch that the door is open, execution of unnecessary steps can be prevented in advance.

On the other hand, the control method may include a notification step (S50, 60) for notifying the user of the opening of the door in advance. That is, a notification step (S50, 60) for notifying that the door is to be automatically opened or that the door-opening device is to be operated may be performed.

This notification step can be seen as a signal that the user is required to move slightly away from the door because the door is about to open. In addition, this notification step can be regarded as a signal for confirming the user's intention to open the door. If the notification in the notification step is ignored and the user does not move, the conditions of the subsequent secondary judgment step (S80) are naturally not satisfied.

Here, if the notification steps (S50, S60) are performed, the secondary determination step (S80) is omitted and the door opening step (S90) may be performed. That is, if the detection closing (S70) is performed after the notification step, the door opening step may be performed immediately.

The notification step may be a step of generating a sound such as a buzzer sound. That is, the notification means may be provided in the form of a buzzer that generates a buzzer sound. Therefore, even if the user's field of vision is out of the refrigerator, the user can hear what is happening in the refrigerator through hearing. That is, the user can intuitively know that the door of the refrigerator is automatically opened after hearing the beep sound.

According to the above-described embodiment, the user's intention to open the door can be clearly grasped, so that misoperation of the door can be prevented. In addition, it can also be achieved through the control aspect without adding additional structure.

In addition, according to the above-described embodiment, the door opening device for opening one door can be controlled without malfunction. In addition, the user is notified that the door is about to be opened through a notification such as a buzzer sound, so that the user can secure a sufficient space for opening the door.

On the other hand, the problem of erroneous operation of the door opening device occurs not only in the door opening device that opens one door, but may also occur in the door opening device that opens two doors.

As an example, it may occur even in the case where two doors for opening and closing one storage compartment are provided on the left and right. This can also happen whether each door is opened with a separate door opener, or each door is opened by one door opener.

Figure 8 shows the concept of opening two doors by one door opening device. As an example, the concept that the left and right doors 15 and 14 can be opened by one door opening device 45 on the upper side of the box 10 is shown.

In such an embodiment, a sensor 115 may also be provided. The sensor 115 may be a sensor for detecting whether a user is approaching as described above.

Therefore, even in a refrigerator in which the left and right doors are opened by one door opening device, the same problem as described above may occur. In particular, even when the user's intention to open the door is judged by one sensor 115, the same problem as the erroneous operation of the door opening device may occur.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a control method for solving the problem in the refrigerator shown in FIG. 8 will be described in detail. The structure required for this embodiment may be the same as the above-described embodiment, however, the door opening means may be different since two doors are opened instead of one. As an example, FIG. 8 shows two racks 49 used by one door opening device to open the left and right doors, respectively. Therefore, for the same features as those of the above-described embodiment, repeated descriptions will be omitted.

Since it is a refrigerator in which two or more doors on the left and right are automatically opened, a plurality of door opening modes can be provided. That is, in each of the plurality of door opening modes, the manner of opening the plurality of doors may be different.

As an example, the plurality of door opening modes may include an opening mode in which only any one door is opened. Additionally, the plurality of door open modes may include an open mode that opens all doors.

In addition, in the case of opening and closing the left and right doors of one storage compartment, the first mode may open the left door, and the second mode may open the right door. Of course, it can also be the opposite. In addition, the first mode can open any one of the left door and the right door, and the second mode opens all the left and right side doors.

With this embodiment, the door can be prevented from being automatically opened against the user's intention, and the user can select a plurality of door opening modes.

As shown in FIG. 8 , an initial step for opening the door ( S100 ) is performed, and whether or not the door is opened is determined by the door switch ( S110 ). If it is determined that the door is closed, it may be performed whether the condition for opening the door is satisfied.

The sensor 115 determines whether the user is approaching the refrigerator ( S130 ). If the sensor detects that the user is within the threshold, that is, detects that the user is within the detection distance of the sensor, the sensor determines that the detection is turned on. At this time, a determination step ( S140 ) of comparing the detection on-time duration with the set time T1 is performed.

Here, the set time T1 is the time when the user has the intention to open the door and is used to check whether the refrigerator is approaching. Therefore, if the user keeps approaching for one second or more, which is an example of the set time T1, it can be determined once that the user has the intention to open the door. Of course, the user may return to the initial step only in the case where the opening of the refrigerator is detected when passing through the refrigerator for a very short time. Thereby, the door can be prevented from being opened due to an erroneous operation.

In this embodiment, S100 to S140 can be said to be the same as the above-mentioned embodiments.

In the present embodiment, the step ( S210 ) for secondarily judging the user's intention to open the door may be performed as in the above-described embodiments. Basically, it can be seen that the secondary judgment step (S210) is similar to the secondary judgment step (S80) in the above-mentioned embodiment.

However, in this embodiment, multiple doors can be automatically opened and have multiple opening modes. Therefore, it is preferable to perform a step for judging what door opening mode should be executed before the secondary judgment step.

FIG. 9 shows an example of a step ( S190 ) of executing the first mode as the A1 mode and a step ( S240 ) of executing the second mode as the A2 mode as an example of a plurality of door opening modes.

Here, the plurality of doors are opened in different forms according to the first mode and the second mode, and the user can select the mode. As an example, it may be selected to open the left door in the first mode and to open the right door in the second mode. Conversely, it may be selected to open the right door in the first mode and to open the left door in the first mode. In addition, it can be selected that the right door is opened in the first mode, and the left and right side doors are all opened in the second mode. Therefore, the form of opening the door according to the plurality of modes can satisfy the user's preference through the user's selection.

After one determination step (S150), a detection shutdown step (S180) may be performed. The time elapsed after the one judgment step until the detection shutdown step (S180) is performed may be counted. That is, if the user's intention to open the door is determined in one determination step (S150), the user moves away from the refrigerator. That is, in order to secure a space for opening the door, the user moves slightly away from the refrigerator. If the time required at this time is shorter than the set time T2, it can be determined that the first mode is selected. That is, the first mode selection step (S160) may be performed.

In the selecting step (S160), it may only be determined whether the first mode is selected. If it is determined that the first mode is selected, the step of driving the door opening device according to the first mode may be performed (S190). In addition, in the selection step (S160), it will not be judged whether the user has no intention to open the door in the end.

On the other hand, the user may move away from the refrigerator after staying a little longer. That is, the first mode may not be selected in the selection step (S160). That is, in the selection step (S160), when the shutdown is not detected within the set time (T2), the step of detecting by the detection sensor (S200) is performed again, and at this time, the secondary mode selection step may be performed again. (S210). This secondary mode selection step (S210) may be referred to as a step for judging whether to select the second mode. In addition, the present secondary mode selection step ( S210 ) can be referred to as a step for secondarily determining whether or not the user has an intention to open the door. That is, it can be referred to as the step of selecting the secondary mode and finally judging whether the user has no intention to open the door.

If the detection off (S230) is detected within the set time (T3) in the secondary mode selection step (S210), it can be determined that the user selects the secondary mode. In addition, if the detection close is not detected within the set time T3 ( S230 ), it can be finally determined that the user does not intend to open the door. This situation may be referred to as a situation in which the user performs cleaning in front of the refrigerator or just stands leaning against the refrigerator.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the user's intention to open the door can be finally confirmed based on the time required from the detection of the opening to the detection of the closing, as in the above-described embodiments. If this time ends up being longer than the sum of T2 and T3, it is possible to keep the door from opening automatically.

In addition, the time required after the detection is turned on until the detection is turned off can be divided into two sections. For example, in the previous section, if the detection OFF is performed within one second after the detection ON, it may be determined that the first ON mode is selected. In addition, if more than one second after the detection of the on and the detection of the off is performed within two seconds, it can be determined that the second on mode is selected. Of course, if the detection closing is performed after two seconds have elapsed, it can be finally determined that the user has no intention to open the door.

Therefore, a desired mode among the plurality of gate modes can be selected by two steps (S160, 200) performed after one judgment step. Including these steps can be called secondary judgment steps.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the door opening mode may be selected differently based on a time difference, for example, the time difference required after detection of opening until detection of closing. Therefore, the door opening mode can be selected very efficiently and intuitively.

In this embodiment, the notification step can be performed in the same manner as in the above-described embodiment. That is, it is possible to notify in advance that the door will be opened or the door opening device will be operated.

Here, the notifying step may be a step for notifying in what mode the door is to be opened. That is, the notification steps of different forms from each other may be performed according to the mode.

In order to execute the first mode, a notification step of beeping once ( S170 ) may be performed, and in addition, in order to execute the second mode, a notification step of beeping twice ( S220 ) may be performed. Therefore, the user can intuitively grasp in what mode the door is opened through the notification steps ( S170 , S220 ) differentiated from each other.

On the other hand, it is shown in FIG. 9 that steps S160 to S180 are performed in order. However, these steps may be performed concurrently rather than sequentially. In addition, the notification step (S170) may be performed after the step S180. Steps from S210 to S230 may also be the same as the above.

Industrial Applicability

According to the embodiments of the present invention, it is possible to provide a refrigerator that reduces the force required by a user to open the refrigerator door and is convenient to use, thereby having significant industrial applicability.

Claims (21)

1. A refrigerator comprising: Box with storage room; left and right doors that open and close the storage compartment independently of each other on both sides of the storage compartment; A sensor that distinguishes detection on (on) and detection off (off) by detecting whether the user is within the detection distance or outside the detection distance; a door opening device configured to automatically open the left door and the right door, having a plurality of door opening modes; and a control unit for determining a drive condition of the door opening device based on the detection duration of the sensor opening and the time from the detection of opening to the detection of closing, and opening the door in any one of the plurality of door opening modes The actuation of the door opening device is controlled. 2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, characterized in that, The door opening device includes: a single motor; and The left rack and the right rack move forward by the driving of the single motor to push the left door and the right door correspondingly. 3. The refrigerator according to claim 1, characterized in that, The plurality of door opening modes include an open mode of the left door and an open mode of the right door. 4. The refrigerator according to claim 1, characterized in that, The plurality of door opening modes include an opening mode in which any one of the left door and the right door is opened, and an open mode in which both the left door and the right door are opened. 5. The refrigerator according to claim 4, characterized in that, The opening of the left door and the right door is sequentially performed in the opening mode in which the left door and the right door are all opened. 6. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, If the detection ON duration is shorter than the set time T1, the control unit determines that the driving condition is not satisfied. 7. The refrigerator according to claim 6, characterized in that, After the set time T1 has elapsed, the control unit determines whether or not the detection is turned off. 8. The refrigerator according to claim 7, characterized in that, After the set time T1 has elapsed, if the time required for the detection of closing is less than the set time T2, the door opening device is driven in a first mode among a plurality of the door opening modes. 9. The refrigerator according to claim 8, characterized in that, After the set time T1 has elapsed, if the time required for the detection of closing is less than the set time T3 which is longer than the set time T2, the door opening device operates in a plurality of the set times. The second mode drive in the door open mode described above. 10. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, comprising: A notification device that informs the user that the door opening device is about to actuate. 11. The refrigerator according to claim 10, characterized in that, The control unit controls the driving of the notification device so as to generate notifications different from each other depending on the opening mode of the door opening device. 12. The refrigerator according to claim 11, characterized in that, The notification device is a buzzer for generating a buzzer sound, and different opening modes are distinguished from each other by the number of buzzer sounds. 13. The refrigerator according to claim 10, characterized in that, including door switches for detecting opening and closing of the left door and the right door, If it is detected by the door switch that the left door and the right door are closed, the control section determines whether or not a driving condition of the door opening device is satisfied. 14. A control method for a refrigerator, comprising: The detection is turned on (on) step, and the sensor detects whether the user is within the detection distance; A judgment step, if the detection opening duration is more than the set time T1, it is judged once that the user intends to open at least one of the left door and the right door of the storage room; a detection off step, after the one judgment step, the sensor is used to detect whether the user exceeds the detection distance; a secondary determination step of selecting any one of a plurality of door opening modes according to the time required after the primary determination step to the detection and closing step; and The door opening step drives a door opening device for opening the left door and the right door according to the selected door opening mode. 15. The control method of the refrigerator according to claim 14, wherein, The plurality of door opening modes include an opening mode in which any one of the left door and the right door is opened. 16. The control method of the refrigerator according to claim 15, wherein, The plurality of the door opening modes includes an opening mode in which the left door and the right door are all opened. 17. The control method of the refrigerator according to claim 14, wherein, A notification step for notifying the user that the door opening device is to be driven is performed after the one-time determination step. 18. The control method of the refrigerator according to claim 17, wherein, The notification step performs notification in different forms from each other depending on the plurality of door opening modes. 19. The control method of the refrigerator according to claim 14, wherein, After the one judgment step, if the time required for the detection of closing is less than the set time T2, the first mode among the plurality of door opening modes is selected. 20. The control method of the refrigerator according to claim 19, wherein, After the one judgment step, if the time required for the detection of closing is less than the set time T3 longer than the set time T2, the second mode among the plurality of door opening modes is selected . 21. The control method of the refrigerator according to claim 20, wherein, If the set time T3 elapses and the detection off is executed, the process returns to the detection on step.